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NATURE STUDY BOOK REVIEWS
Putting together a page of our favourite nature study book reviews was not an easy task! Over the years we have collected numerous beautiful books
that have enriched our nature study and journey in discovering the wonders of nature. This is a slice of our favourites!
Our nature study book reviews are a mixture of read alouds, readers, how-to books, or just books that made us want to get out there, draw and observe!
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A Seed is Sleepy
This is a wonderful nature study book for all ages!
"An incredible variety of
seeds are celebrated in all their beauty and wonder."
I could not agree more!
We often pull this one off the shelf just to enjoy the lovely illustrations. The first open spread page is
a feast of seeds while the last open spread page is filled with the corresponding plants they become, illustrated in vibrant watercolours!
Gorgeous diagrams and illustrations adorn the pages in between, which are filled with equally engaging text. A real treat!
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An Egg is Quiet
Could I just ditto the above remarks for A Seed is Sleepy? Except this time the topic is eggs!
Even the end papers brim with information.
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A Seed is Sleepy
Ok, can I be really cheeky and ditto a third time! The latest Dianna Hutts Aston book A Butterfly is Patient is just as
beautifully illustrated and engaging as the other two above!! A worthwhile investment for any nature study basket!
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Handbook of Nature Study
This hefty book has been our "how to" and reference book for nature study. It is written for the northern hemisphere, but we have found
it a wonderful tool and have easily been able to slot in our own local wildlife or wildflowers when the lesson has not been relevant to where we live. You can read more about how we have used
it here.
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The Christian Liberty Nature Readers form a lovely set of graded readers for children. Scientific observations of nature are brought to life in an uncomplicated text alongside simple illustrations. We found the books
informative and interesting.
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Christian Liberty Nature Reader 1
Book 1 is written in rather large print and the stories are short and concise. Spiders, honeybees, ants, wasps, ladybugs, mosquitoes and
snails are some of the many topics covered in the stories.
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Christian Liberty Nature Reader 2
In Book 2 the print is still large, but the stories are longer and more detailed. Some of the topics covered in Book 1 are revisitied, but in more
depth. The topics covered in this book are crabs, wasps, bees, spiders, shellfish and worms.
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Christian Liberty Nature Reader 5
The topics covered in Book 5 are how food is used, important tools for eating, important systems for life, the senses, the structure of the body,
animal forms and functions and the crown of creation.
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A Fruit is a Suitcase for Seeds
This is such a sweet little book! It is an excellent introduction to seeds and fruits. I love the dedication at the beginning
of the book, "To my mother, Eva Zeisel, who taught me that it is always better to put a seed into the ground than to leave it in a drawer."
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Jody's Beans
Jody's Beans is just the kind of book you need to inspire you to grow a bean! Now I know
this might sound silly, but I still get excited when we plant beans! (Actually, I get excited when we plant anything!)
The author lives on a little island off the north west coast of Ireland and his favourite sight is the runner beans in full
flower- a mass of bright scarlet, with the prospect of tasty meals to come.
A delightful story of a little girl who plants beans
with her grandfather.
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The following nature study book review is more of a reference for drawing, illustrating and watercolour techniques as opposed to a read aloud or nature
study book, but it has been really helpful as I am not very artistically inclined!
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Painting with Watercolor, Pen and Ink
I found a book called Painting Nature in Pen and Ink with Watercolor by the same author in our library years ago and it was one of those books
you renew a few times! I couldn't source it anywhere at the time, but was delighted to find that she had this book which was a combination of a few of her
books and it contained all the information that the nature book had in it! We have used this book so many times and sometimes I just pull it off the
shelf for inspiration! The pages burst with new techniques to try, lush illustrations and lots of extra bits and pieces tucked in between! One of our favourite favourites.
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Linnea's Almanac
Linnea's Almanac is almost a condensed nature journal if you like, as Linnea keeps track of her indoor and outdoor activities all year round.
Linnea lives in the city, but that does not stop her observing the changes in the seasons and all the other wonderful happenings around her!
"All over my room, things are growing." She will inspire you to create, appreciate and find new enthusiasm for those days when you need it! Delightful little book.
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Linnea's Windowsill Garden
This book will give you plenty of ideas to grow your own nature study area! No excuses! We learnt such a lot not only about growing things, but
the water cycle, plant anatomy, seeds and a myriad of other things. Told in typical Linnea style makes this book a delightful read and a wealth of information
for children and adults.
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Eliza and the Dragonfly
Eliza and the Dragonfly is a book that stood on my shelf for ages! We were reading one morning and noticed hoardes of dragonflies hovering all over
our garden! It was one of those moments when you realise you could sit indoors reading to your children about the Vikings, or you could have a hands on, spontaneous
and meaningful lesson outdoors! I grabbed a blanket, Eliza and the Dragonfly, our Handbook of Nature Study and a couple of enthusiastic children and we spent the next
few hours soaking in the sunshine and trying to catch dragonflies with a butterfly net we quickly whipped up- which by the way was highly unsuccessful! Dragonflies
are way too clever for a butterfly net! However, this is a charming book with lots of information about dragonflies, their life cycles and how to make
a waterscope.
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Nature Study Book Reviews - The Charlotte Mason Way
This nature study book review is to inspire you as a parent or teacher to introduce your children to the practice of nature study.
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Pocketful of Pinecones
When we had just moved to Australia and were waiting for 9 weeks in a hotel for our stuff to arrive, a dear friend bought a pile
of books for me to devour! Pocketful of Pinecones was among them, and I ended up investing in my own copy! For anyone starting on the road of a Charlotte
Mason type education, or wanting to implement nature study into their daily routine, this is a great place to start. Written in story form and exploring the
path of gentle learning this one comes highly recommended!
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I hope our basket of nature study book reviews have inspired you to start a basket of your own!
If you have any of your own nature study book reviews that you would like to share, please contact me. I'd love to hear from you. :-)
Be sure to check back soon for our page of Australian Nature Study Book Reviews! There were too many to add on here!
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Back to Children's Books from Nature Study Book Reviews
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